Short, fat and unassuming, I have extended the boundaries of indifferent posting and spurious comment within the interweb community to previously unimagined levels of banality. This has been achieved without fear of retribution or negative comment so if you're interested in thought patterns that tumble around the inside of my head like old underpants in a washing machine then this is for you.

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Gary Amos

Sunday, 13 July 2008

Stroll on, it only seems like a couple of days ago it was last Sunday and we're here again already. Been waiting for the rain all day to give me an excuse not to cut the grass, but luckily it's too nice to do such things. been sunny all day so thought I'd make the best of it and have a read instead. Naturally, this involves the odd doze and divergences into the land of the CD and the wireless, but it's a hell of a good way to pass an unexpectedly relaxing day off.

So, what're the odds for a revolution in China within the next ten years? O.K., twenty at most. Pollution is at unbelievable levels, the wealth is centred around a minority, urban life is deteriorating and rural life is collapsing into anarchy. Added to which, the peasants (and they're still peasants by just about any definition) continually cop out in the name of progress. Need a hydro dam? Why, just flood another valley!

There are also going to be good wargaming opportunities in Africa as the whole place deteriorates into a free for all while the Chinese and Russians (but mainly the Chinese) plunder the continent for raw materials. There could be central African civil wars, north African scuffles between Muslim extremists, tribal gangs and failing governments and southern African revolutions sparked by the collapse of Zimbabwe, followed by instability in South Africa. The UN is now a laughing stock and NATO will more than likely pull back and watch from the sidelines, not wanting to become embroiled in another Iraq. The British, French and Belgians will sell arms to everybody and make a tidy profit and the CIA will be doing overtime trying to back both horses and falling off both. In any case, they'll have their work cut out with Central and South America . . . .

Probably in trouble with my mate in London who's been incommunicado for ages cos I never go down there, but he's always popping up here. I agree with him absolutely, but it's easier to make excuses not to go than to actually get on with it. I'm in the same boat in other areas, which is why I don't keep in touch with anybody other than by email or the occasional phone call. It's a shitty way of conducting oneself, but demotivation is the name of the game round here. I'll make more of an effort when the holiday season's over (it hasn't actually started yet) and spend the autumn catching up.

Ever seen that bloke Pat Condell on YouTube? He's always banging on about something or other, but from the safety of the internet. He's a sort of middle class, middle aged anarchist pontificating from his centrally heated, double glazed broadband linked garret. He's worth a watch as he's articulate and not too bad an orator, but sometimes he tries to be too clever. I give him a viddy now and again, but I'm suspicious he represents the establishment he rails against. Nothing wrong with being a champagne soclialist I suppose (we put up with Blair for long enough).

Oh enough with this pontification and on with the real world. I'm messing around with an old Foundry figure of Davout at the moment, painting him up to what i think I'd have looked like in his day - and with his rank, more or less. he's turning out quite well and fills in the odd occasion when there's not enough time to have a session with a proper unit. I'll post a piccie when he's done, provided I don't forget or lose enthusiasm before then. In the meantime, today's toy:

He's a Vietnam period Yank from a pretty poor range of figures and he'll probably end up on eBay when I can be bothered, or maybe donated to a mate in the States. I've had to stretch the image a little to make it look half human.

Friday, 11 July 2008

Not true. Should read 'NOT goin' up the country". couple of days off cos of Chris' birthday and it's been raining for pretty much a week with no sign of less wet conditions. So, celebrations have been limited to a meal and gifts and even I got a book, a DVD and a jumper out of it. Seems odd.

Anyway, it's still been a busy week on the geopolitical front. America (or maybe Isreal - same thing really) is threatening to hit the Iranian nuclear plants and, not content with mushrooming economy, the Chinese have told the rest of us to sod off about pollution and do prove their point they're going to kill off the world's Olympic teams with high levels of shit in the air and water you can't row or sail in. We ought to hit back by boycotting their takeaways.

Nearer home, that clown David Davies has won his bye election with a landslide, which isn't surprising as there wasn't any real opposition. He ought to be charged with the cost of having to organise the damned thing. To keep the pot boiling, a judge has stated that we ought to include some aspects of Sharia law into English law. Should go down well considering the hammering Rowan Williams received for the same thing a couple of months ago. Don't get me started about the ordination of women.

A young ginger tomcat with just over half a tail keeps visiting us to swipe the food for our cats. Not a particularly bright individual, (which probably explains the tail) he's received the attention of both of ours who certainly don't tolerate visitors on their patch, particularly the older one who's stone deaf and ifrequently surprised by sudden appearances of just about anybody and anything. She certainly hasn't forgotten how to fight though and the new kid on the block has [picked up a few wounds to prove it. Being a bloke, I don't think he'll ever learn.

Spent some time cruising through the blogs last weekend and there are some pearlers out there. There's a lot of absolute shite, but this is compensated for by the occasional gems you come across. Some have lapsed into disuse, but most are on the boil. There's not particular age or gender or background which holds sway, though maybe the Yanks have a slight majority. Anyway, give it a go and pass an hour or so, it's good fun.
And so to the arcane world of wargaming. If anybody doeas actually read this stuff (and I know there are at lest two), now's the time to switch off.

Been thinking about making rapid inroads into the lead mountain, but not knowing where to start as much of it is for projects which never took off or have now passed their sell by date. There's not much point selling raw lead as there's no return on it and even painted stuff generally gois for a song, particularly if it's not a faxhionable period (which most of this isn't). Anyway, decided to knopk off a unit here and there between work on current projects and favours for mates. Can't being my self to part with any 7YW, Napoleonics or ACW, but my Late Romans, Colonials and AWI are looking dodgy. Naturally I'd use the dosh to reinvest in base metal, but, as this rate of progress, I'll be too old to lift it. let alone paint it.

I'll continue to mull this one over, but, in the meantime, here's today's toy:

I supose it's toys really. A bunch of Soviets for a project a few years ago which withered on the vine. they've long since gone to America. Even though they were a rush job, I lliked them and was sorry the project never took off. Bit to late now though!

Sunday, 6 July 2008

Tennis all afternoon and too much rain to go out, so I'll move steadily towards going out of my mind instead.

Main topics in the paper seem to be about the C of E's impending schism and Dr Who, so that didn't take long to get through. As a lapsed C of E-ist (as are most of the English), I can't see anything wrong with the ordination of women or the establishment of women bishops. The biblical argument based on scripture just doesn't hold water as all the versions of the scriptures and the AV King James edition of the Bible were all controlled by male dominated societies. No surprise then that Christianity is portrayed as a male controlled organisation. If Jesus was the son of God, then God was only conforming to the mores of the time. No point sending a woman to spread the Gospel because nobody would listen to her. If we take just about every other historical document into account (and the Gospels are historical documents as well as religious, even though they've been tampered with), women have been effectively written out of history for over two thousand years. Right, that's that straightened out.

O yeah, what I was going to say is that church and state ought to be kept separate or we'll end up with some bloody confusion like in the Middle East. In any case, I'm not going to be dictated to by an ex Nazi in Rome or a fanatical Irishman in London who's been appointed by him. I suppose we've been a secular Protestant state for too long now. It's bad enough the government trying to tell us what to think without the Pope getting involved.

I was going to talk about all manner of interesting things like music, congestion charging, stick models, cinema and the like, but that'll have to wait now cos yesterday I got some Perry Netherlands militia and they're screaming out for attention. First proper step towards an 1815 Preponcher outfit and it's looking to be an interesting project. Lots of variety and pretty uniforms and, with thte impending release of the Perry plastic French, a good life span too.

At the monent I'm knocking out some Middle East miiltia for a mate and then on with those Prussians, interspersed with my Netherlanders. I've been experimenting with the new Citadel inks and they're pretty good. I don't believe they're as good as the oil paint washes, but far less messy and certainly quicker. Only complaint so far is that the green's too emerald greenish, but the rest seem fine. They're probably at their best for giving a quick wash over the main colour after a basic highlight shade is added. They can then be left or highlighted again to show the real high spots. Good investment, especially now you can buy them in singles.

Anyway, today's toy is another of Frank's superb Seven Years War range: a sergeant of the de Ligne regiment.